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Friday, Oct. 05, 2007 | I respectfully disagree with Scott Lewis on the charter issue. First, with the exception of voiceofsandiego.org, the Charter Review Committee’s work did not receive much media attention. But do I blame the media for not covering the issue more extensively?
No.
Charter amendments are dry and complex and difficult to create an exciting story out of. Even the VOSD primarily used the This Just In section to update readers on the committee’s work, rather than full story articles. Secondly, the Charter Review Committee is only one phase of the process. It is an advisory group that will be making recommendations to an elected body.
Some voters might feel they can be more effective making their recommendations to elected representatives after they have had a chance to digest the work and recommendations of the Charter Review Committee. It’s much easier to respond and react to a set of existing recommendations than it is to draft your own from scratch. Particularly, if you don’t have the resources of staff and/or consultants to help you research comparative data and relevant legal issues.
I don’t view the results of the poll as discouraging or indicative of a process gone wrong. I am optimistic that voters will be more engaged and interested as we move into the second phase of review and discussion regarding charter amendments via the City Council. Especially, now that we have a set of recommendations to respond and react to. It’s a base from which we can all start a healthy debate.
Lani Lutar is the CEO of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association